Jackie Bobcean sifted through hundreds of handbags on Wednesday and talked about how donations leading up to Mother’s Day on May 11 will help some women recover from a traumatic experience.

Bobcean is a volunteer at HandBags of Hope, which provide support, advocacy and awareness to end domestic violence and bullying by promoting a safe environment.

“Our goal is to change the perception and views of society as a whole to understand domestic violence does not limit itself to physical abuse,” said Bobcean of HandBags of Hope located in Eastpointe, who along with Lisa Kaufman are making a difference through everyday handbags.

“We are getting ready for our Mother’s Day drive,” she said Wednesday.

“Our bags are gifted locally and across the state to domestic abuse transitional housing and teen empowerment programs,” said Bobcean. “We rely on 90 percent product donations.”

The non-profit group hands out 2,500 hand bags a year and since 2006 they have given away over 17,000 handbags.

On Wednesday, Bobcean sifted through a sea of over 2,500 handbags to prepare for women who need it.

“All of our programs are domestic violence related so we are giving back that very personal possession to that woman,” Bobcean said. “I have some women that say hey left their purse behind when they left a house after being (abused). It is a very personal possession. We learn at an early age not to go into mom’s purse. We give back that personal possession.”

The group operates out of Love Life Christian Center in Eastpointe, but they hope to eventually find a more visible permanent home. And remaining ‘visible’ is important as the group is helping women who need it the most.

“In most cases women cannot activate a pre-planned escape, but must leave when the chance presents itself,” Bobcean said. “Only to arrive at a shelter to find it already filled to capacity. Now she is forced to sleep in her car and risk her safety and possibly having her children taken from her.

“Our goal is to make certain no woman has to question or fear running from an abuser because there’s no safe place to land.”

Bobcean said the organization advocates for verbal, financial and mental abuse. “I worked with a lady who was married to a doctor who controlled all her funds,” she said. “Domestic and mental abuse is in all circles of life – not just poor people.”

The group continues to look for support from the corporate world and the Macomb County and Oakland County community at-large to help donate or volunteer.

“We rely 90 percent of donations of items and fillers that go in the handbags, so we’re reaching out to schools where students can get community service hours for collecting the items we need,” she said. “We would love to have schools involved.

“A lot of corporations don’t see us as being financially viable,” she said. “We have never received a grant or are we eligible for state funding because the state deems what we are doing are not a necessity. Instead, we rely on churches, women’s groups, and need community involvement. That’s what keeps us going.”

For more information on how to donate or volunteer with Handbags of Hope, call (586) 215-2050 or visit handbagsofhope@yahoo.com.